Mason Ch. 08

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The Disc.
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Part 8 of the 15 part series

Updated 09/22/2022
Created 09/25/2011
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kalamazoo707
kalamazoo707
1,664 Followers

Toni looked at herself in the mirror. She was finally going back to work after two years and she was nervous. She decided to switch to night shift since she hadn't slept well since James died; she also decided not to work her shifts in a row thinking that it would be better for Jamie that way. The nights that she worked her parents watched him with James' parents watching him whenever they were in town. Overall, it looked like a good set up.

Since she had been gone for so long, she had to go through the whole hospital orientation thing again, and fortunately, they had one in the evening. After this, the rest of the orientation would be during the day, which didn't exactly thrill Toni, but it was what it was.

One of the things that she dreaded the most was the sympathetic looks and pats on the arm, back or shoulder. She would have to remember that they meant well and in time, the sympathetic looks would pass. The second anniversary of James' death had just passed and her mother was still hinting that maybe she should start socializing again.

"Mom, please! I don't want or need to socialize!" Toni exclaimed one night.

Usually her father remained silent during these 'talks" but not tonight.

"Barbara." He said softly, "Let it be, when she's ready she'll do something about it."

Both Toni and Barbara looked at Ben in surprise; he only intervened in these conversations when he felt that Barbara was pushing too hard.

"Well it's true." He said as he continued eating his dinner.

That conversation occurred almost two weeks ago and her mother hadn't brought it up since something for which Toni was very grateful.

She could think and talk about James now without bursting into tears and she could watch the videos that James made of himself talking to her and sometimes Jamie with the exception of that last disc. Every night she promised herself that she would watch it and every night she backed out. She didn't understand why that last disc frightened her but it did. She also knew that sometime she was going to have to look at it but not now, she wasn't ready.

******

Mason sat on his patio sipping a long island iced tea; he was casually dressed in blue jeans and a tee shirt. He had taken Eustace's advice to heart and gone shopping and as Eustace said, the women at the store were more than willing to help him shop. As much as he had enjoyed the attention, he wasn't attracted to any of them even though they preened and posed in front of him. When he got home and unpacked his purchases, he found a slip of paper with several names and phone numbers on it. He gave it a quick glance and threw it away not giving it any further thought. He still laughed when he remembered the first time that he showed up at Eustace's and Gretchen's house dressed in blue jeans and a tee shirt. Eustace and Gretchen were flabbergasted.

"My god Mason!" Gretchen said after he did a 360. "You have one hell of an ass! Oops, sorry sweetheart." she said to Eustace who was laughing. Mason laughed with them and wondered if Eustace knew that he and Gretchen had been intimate. If left to guess, he would have to say yes, Gretchen was into full disclosure. During their time together, she had told him some things that he would rather have not known.

Mason had only seen Toni a handful of times in the past year and it was always 'accidental'. He was glad to see that she was doing better and had come to grips with James' death. Whenever he saw her, he made a point of asking about Jamie and her parents. They always parted on friendly terms but never with the "let's get together" spiel. It just hadn't felt right.

Mason did find himself thinking of Toni more and more but he wasn't at the point where he could use the word love in the same sentence with her, care was the word that came to his mind when he thought about her. He wondered from time to time if she had ever watched the last disc but suspected that she hadn't. In his hearts of hearts, he believed that whatever was on that disc would determine what would happen with them.

The one thing that he did find out from one of their meetings was that Toni was going back to work after two years. That didn't surprise him but the fact that she would be working nights did.

"I don't sleep so well at night anymore." she told him. "My parents are still with me so they can watch Jamie on the nights that I work.

That got Mason thinking again about working as a consult the hospital provided that he only worked nights. The other stipulation was one that he couldn't make known was that he only wanted to be on call the nights that Toni worked which meant that he would have to use some compulsion with the scheduler.

The day after he found out that Toni would be going back to work, Mason called the hospital and asked if they needed a psychiatrist. After talking with the Director of Medical services Mason went online and filled out the application. He was very specific in saying that he couldn't work days under any circumstances and that he would be willing to work holidays and some weekends. When he finished, he hit the send button and waited.

Mason also followed another piece of advice that Eustace gave him. He called Ethan.

Ethan listened not even trying to hide his amusement.

"So you want to attend Ethan's school of human dating do you?" Ethan asked laughing.

Mason knew that Ethan would find his request funny but he didn't mind too much. It was good to have Ethan back as a true friend.

"Alright already, if you're done cackling are you going to help me or not?" Mason asked.

"Of course, this is going to be fun!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Shit Ethan, I'm not doing this for your entertainment." Mason said mildly irritated.

"Ok." Ethan said stifling his laughter. "Tell me about her."

An hour later Mason told Ethan everything that he knew about Toni and her subsequent marriage to James because of his decision not to take Toni out for a drink.

"Damn Mason, you've got your work cut out for you but at least you're not starting out the way Katrina and I did. I think your best bet is to do what you're thinking about; getting to know her on a professional level even though, you did have some contact. Just start slow and follow her lead just like you told me to do with Katrina." Ethan replied.

"That's it? That was Ethan's school for human dating? Fuck Ethan, I could have come up with that on my own!" Mason exclaimed.

"What were you expecting? A step-by-step guide? Mason, what worked for Katrina might not work for Toni. That's part of the whole dating thing and I have to admit, I got a rush out of it, like the first time Katrina let me take her out- it gave me a whole new appreciation for what the human males go through. It's hard work but so worth it, in a way I wish we all had to meet our mates that way." Ethan said.

Mason sighed, Ethan right, there was no step-by-step instruction manual. He would have to find his own way just as Ethan and millions of human men before him.

******

Tomorrow night would be Mason's first night; he had already done the required orientation and paperwork but had compelled his way out of the day orientation. Mason found out what Toni's schedule was and signed up for the same nights. His plan was to get to know her on a professional level and then move on from there, the fact that they had met during one of the most painful times in her life was a mixed blessing. His fear was that she would be embarrassed or that she might think that he would talk about her to the other staff, the blessing being that he already had some rapport with her.

The first night was like first nights anywhere. It was a matter of finding out where things were and who to ask when you couldn't find something. Mason was paired with an attractive female doctor for the first night, it didn't take him long to figure out that she didn't like him. Not that it mattered but he wanted to know why, he had never met the woman before so they had no history; he would have remembered.

During one of their breaks, Mason decided to ask her what the problem was.

"I don't have a problem" she replied.

"Look, Joyce..."

"Dr. Evans if you please." she interrupted.

"Alright Dr. Evans." Mason said coolly. "You can tell me until you're blue in the face that we don't have a problem but I know otherwise and if we're going to be working together we'd better straighten our issues out now."

"Working together?" she asked surprised.

"Yes, I was told that I would be working with another psychiatrist." Mason replied.

"Were you now?" Joyce replied. "When did they tell you this?" she asked.

"When I interviewed a couple of weeks ago why?" Mason asked.

"You've been misled." Joyce said. "You're my replacement." she added.

"What? You're leaving?"

"Not by choice, just watch your back around here. You start complaining too much and you'll be training your own replacement like I am." Joyce said.

Mason thought back to his interview, he didn't detect any deceit but then he hadn't been looking for any either. His prime objective had been to secure a job at the hospital but he didn't want it at the expense of someone else losing his or her job.

"What kind of things did you complain about?" Mason asked.

"For one thing, they sometimes float staff to the psych unit with little or no training. It's not safe for the patients or the staff. The second thing is at night we're often short staffed which is why they float staff from the other floors instead of hiring the trained staff that we need. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the staff that they send aren't good nurses in their element and they do try but it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt."

Mason listened to Joyce's words and heard no lie.

"So they fired you for speaking your mind." Mason commented.

Joyce gave him a small smile before replying.

"It was a little bit more than that, I got the nurses riled up about it and they took it to the union."

"And..." Mason said sensing that there was more.

"I gave them my full support and wrote a letter to the hospital board voicing my concerns." Joyce added.

"You don't do anything half-assed do you?" Mason asked.

"Not when I know I'm right." Joyce replied. "I think that they're planning on you being a yes man and they're going to pair you with someone new who won't question what's going on."

"When's your last shift?" Mason asked.

"Next week. Why?"

"Don't pack up your diplomas just yet." he replied.

"Why?" she asked. "What are you going to do?" Joyce asked.

"We should go to our office and work on our schedules." Mason replied standing up.

The next evening Mason waited for the Director of Medical services to come back from a meeting, he had a few things to say to the man.

"I don't like being mislead." Mason said before the man had a chance to sit down."

"Mislead? By whom?" the director replied innocently.

"You. You told me that I would be working with another psychiatrist, you didn't mention that you were firing the current one." Mason replied.

"You didn't need to know that." The director replied curtly.

"I don't agree with you there, but no matter." Mason said. "She stays."

"You are in no position to say who stays and who goes. It would do you well to remember that you are in your probationary period." The director said his tone just as curt as Mason's.

"It would do you well to remember this." Mason said. "I don't need your damned job, I also don't respond well to threats whether they are blatant or implied and I sure as hell don't like being lied to. So I'm going to make a threat of my own and you will respond if you don't want this in the papers. Joyce keeps her job and without repercussions, you will meet with us and discuss our concerns. Once we do that, you will go to the board and pass on our concerns, better yet, you will allow Joyce to express our concerns at the next board meeting. Is that clear?" Mason asked giving the man a little mental push.

To Mason's surprise, the man resisted. Mason gave a harder push almost but not quite to the point of using compulsion. In the end, the director agreed to all of Mason's demands.

Mason found Joyce packing up her things.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm packing." Joyce replied.

"Unpack, you're staying." Mason said as he took a box from the floor and put it on her desk.

"I'm what?" Joyce asked her voice filled with disbelief.

"You're staying. I had a meeting with the Director of Medical services and made him an offer that he couldn't refuse. Not only that, you get to speak at the next board meeting to express your concerns." Mason said.

Joyce was speechless; it was several minutes before she could speak.

"I don't know what to say." she said.

"How about thank you?" Mason teased.

Joyce smiled, "Thank you." she said with a little curtsy.

That had been a week ago; for the most part Mason enjoyed his first week. The biggest issue he had was avoiding the single nurses looking for a rich doctor. Tonight was the first night that he would be working the same shift as Toni. He hadn't seen her to tell her that he was going to be working at the hospital and he was curious as to what her response would be.

*****

Toni finished dressing, went to the kitchen to have dinner with Jamie. She hadn't left him to go to work in almost four years, she was more anxious about it than he was. They finished dinner early enough that they had time to read together and to watch part of one of the videos that James made.

"Papa!" Jamie said excitedly. His reaction was the same no matter how many times he saw the videos. His favorite one was the one in which James was holding him and telling him all of the things that he wished for him. Toni was to the point where she laughed whenever he said to Jamie, "I'll teach you how to cook in case your wife can't cook like your mommy."

Toni was finding it easier to laugh about the things James used to do and say but felt a measure of sadness at the same time. She had come realize that she would always miss him and that she would always love him. Her mistake she realized was in trying to convince herself that she shouldn't be missing him after all of this time. She began to feel more at peace when she admitted to herself that James would always be a part of her life and that went beyond having Jamie in their lives.

Toni kissed Jamie good night and admonished him to be a good boy for "gramma and grampa" before heading out of the door. It occurred to her that she hadn't stepped foot inside of the hospital since James died. Toni felt tears form and forced them back, she was doing this damn it! It wasn't about the money, she never had to work another day in her life but it was about claiming back a part of her life that she had let go. She had to prove to herself that she was a good doctor but sweet Jesus she was scared, her palms were so sweaty that she had to dry them off before gripping the steering wheel in a death grip. The drive to the hospital seemed far to fast, before she knew it; she was parking in one of the spaces designated for physicians. Belatedly she realized that it was same spot that she and James used when they drove in to work together.

Toni sat frozen behind the steering wheel until she willed herself to move. She felt as if her heart was going to burst through her chest as she walked through the parking lot toward the entrance of the hospital. At the door, she stopped and took a deep breath before walking in.

Miraculously, she made it to the doctor's sleeping room without running into anyone. She quickly stashed her lunch in the fridge and then looked around. She and James had spent many hours in a room like this one, if not this one sitting on the cot, holding hands and just talking about whatever came to mind.

Toni squared her shoulders, made sure that she had her stethoscope and name badge and headed out for her first night of work. It was as she had expected to be, everyone stopping her, patting her back or going so far as to hug her. They meant to be comforting, she knew that but it wasn't helping. Several times she had to excuse herself to avoid the "How's Jamie handling it? Or "are you sure that you're ready to come back?" Questions. More than once having to admit a patient saved her from the nerve-wracking questions and sympathetic looks.

Things were actually going fairly well as far as work was concerned, Toni had become adept at avoiding questions that she was tired of hearing had no desire to answer. There was a lull around two and she decided to go to the sleeping room to eat her lunch and put her feet up. She was barely out of the ER when an ambulance brought in a man of indeterminate age. The man was yelling, screaming obscenities while trying to hit whoever got close enough. The ER physician stood back watching and made no attempts to address the man.

"How'd you get him in the ambulance?" Toni asked as she put on a pair of gloves and walked past the fear paralyzed ER physician. By that time, another physician had appeared and was given a quick update by a nurse who had seen the patient come in.

"Easy." The EMT said, "He was out cold. He came to just as we got him into the hospital."

"Sir, my name is Dr. Jacobson. Are you hurt?"

The man looked at Toni and made a lunge for her causing her to jump back.

Toni turned to the EMT, "any idea of who he is?" she asked.

"Not a clue. Whoever called 911 was gone by the time we got there." he replied.

"Sir, you're at the hospital...."

That was all she got out before the man lunged for her again and this time almost got a hold of her lab coat. The ER secretary called a code grey-(combative patient) while the EMTs tried to control the man with which they had only marginal success. Security arrived and between them and the EMTs, they managed to get the man onto a gurney and in restraints.

"Let's get some Haldol in this guy, he's a big guy lets go with 1 mg IM and see what he does. Who's on for psych tonight?" Toni asked.

"Some new guy Dr. Donahue with Dr. Evans." someone replied.

Donahue? Toni thought, it couldn't be the same Donahue; he didn't seem the type that would work in a hospital.

"Call them." Toni said looking at the still struggling man.

A few minutes later Mason and Joyce came into the ER, the man while not out cold was considerably calmer and asking to be unrestrained.

"I promise not to hit anybody! Where's that pretty lady doctor? Tell her I'm sorry if I scared her."

He sounded perfectly reasonable but Toni and the other doctors were taking no chances. Security remained nearby just in case he became combative again. Is Psych on the way? The doctor who came to assist Toni asked.

"We're here." Mason said in response.

Toni turned toward Mason and stared at him in shock. He acknowledged her with a nod of his head as he approached restrained man.

Toni left the ER in shock, what was he doing here?

******

After the man was stabilized, Mason went in search of Toni. This wasn't exactly how he had planned to let her know that he was working here but maybe it was for the best. The initial meeting was out of the way and he could move forward.

He found Toni in the doctor's lounge sipping a cup of coffee.

"Hello." He greeted as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He made a mental note to bring his own from home. He had forgotten how bad hospital coffee could be.

"Hi." Toni replied. "When did you start?" she asked.

"Last week. I decided to go back to my roots so to speak. I was a hospital psychiatrist before I opened my own practice." Mason said grimacing when he took a sip of the coffee.

Toni noticed and laughed, "I bring my own, even after two years away the coffee hasn't changed."

"I think I'll start doing the same thing. So how's the first night back going?" he asked pushing the cup of coffee away.

kalamazoo707
kalamazoo707
1,664 Followers
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